


what do you call a fellow like me?

by sparrabethington



Category: Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1974), The Great Gatsby (2013)
Genre: First Kiss, Gay Nick Carraway, Love Confessions, M/M, bi jay gatsby, gatsby is a HIMBO, he's so dumb bless nick’s heart, they’re pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:08:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22995958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparrabethington/pseuds/sparrabethington
Summary: nick teaches jay a new word.(spoiler alert: that word is “bisexual”.)
Relationships: Nick Carraway/Jay Gatsby
Comments: 12
Kudos: 235





	what do you call a fellow like me?

**Author's Note:**

> this is just meant to be cute & fluffy <3 we love stupid gatsby in this household

The words came out all too quickly, a blind confession likely backed without thought.

“ _ Because I have feelings for you, Jay. _ ”

As soon as Nick said it, he desperately wished that he could have taken it back. Not because he regretted it, but because the look of pure, unadulterated bewilderment on Jay’s face was a catalyst for embarrassment.

The two of them stood in shocked silence for a few moments, the air between them suddenly much thicker than it had been before Nick opened his mouth. Jay stared off ahead of them toward the Sound, and Nick’s gaze became focused on the water swallowing his ankles. The radiant sun was creeping its way above the horizon line and the two men, caught in its rays like deer in headlights, sat side by side on Jay’s dock. Nick felt one of his eyes twitch at the sudden atmosphere that fell over them, all because he’d made what was probably an irrationally stupid mistake.

“I don’t understand,” Jay murmured at last, breaking his stare out at the bay. “I have feelings for you, too, old sport, as I have feelings for all of my friends.”

It took Nick a few concern-ridden moments to realize that Jay hadn’t picked up on what he meant. That was probably a good thing, but now Nick was dreading having to actually spell out what he was trying to say. As much as he enjoyed Jay’s company, it was at times simply mind blowing how oblivious he managed to be. Clearly, money was not everything.

“Jay,” Nick chuckled softly, “ _ romantic _ feelings. I don’t… well, I don’t think of you in the way that normal friends do, you see. I admire you the same way you admired Daisy.”

The mention of Daisy and the acknowledgement of Jay’s affection for her in the past tense caused the man to flinch only slightly, but the expression on his face was entirely unreadable. Nick had never seen anything quite like it before, and that worried him a bit. He had seen Jay angry, and this didn’t look angry, but he didn’t seem to be entirely pleased either. If anything, Nick could have guessed he was confused, which seemed about right.

“I… I still don’t understand, old sport. You mean to tell me that you’re—“

“I’m a homosexual,” Nick interjected, probably too loudly considering they were both outdoors and the year was 1922. “I… prefer the company of men.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. To anybody else it likely would have seemed he rehearsed this a multitude of times and was getting something wrong, but any semblance of that went directly over Jay’s head. He was staring at Nick now with a sort of puzzled wonder, lips slightly parted and an eyebrow cocked just noticeably. Nick felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. “Um— Ah,” he laughed anxiously, one of his hands suddenly at the nape of his neck. “You mustn’t think any differently of me, though, really, I promise that it’s not—“

“Well, now, how does that figure?” It seemed as though Jay hadn’t paid attention to a word Nick said after the mention of his sexuality. Clearly, the man was speaking out loud to himself, and Nick tilted his head curiously.

“What do you mean, Jay?”

Jay gave him a sheepish smile and turned his head back to the Sound. A slight breeze pushed its way through the air, kissing the water and rippling the waves. It fluttered through their hair and clothes. “I mean that it makes no sense, old sport. You see, I have to confess that my feelings for you could be considered rather… intimate.” There was an almost uncomfortable look that creased his eyes as though it pained him to admit it, and Nick listened intently, bravely ignoring the palpitations of his heart. “B-But I’m not a homosexual!” Jay added quickly, waving a hand in a vague gesture. He turned again to Nick, both of them looking slightly guilty. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, old sport, obviously, but… well, hmm. How do I phrase it?”

Nick’s hand lifted slightly, wishing to ghost itself over Jay’s back, but he decided against that for now. “Take your time, Jay.”

With a deep breath and a huff, Jay frowned. “I’ve been attracted to women all my life, and on certain occasions I entertain the thought of spending time with handsome men. I like men, you see, but not always in  _ that  _ way. Sometimes I just happen to form little attractions to them is all. And… and, well, for once in my life I think my liking another man has become something a bit more than just that.” Jay explained himself dreadfully slowly, as though he were deathly afraid he’d trip up on a word and sully the entire thing. It brought a smile to Nick’s face, which he normally would have felt guilty about, but not now. 

This time he did rest his hand slightly on Jay’s back, directly between the man’s striped suspenders. Jay jumped slightly at the touch, then broke into a grin and chuckled it off. “I guess what I don’t get is, well… what do you call a fellow like me, old sport? I’m not a homosexual because I like women too, but I don’t know if I’m allowed to be attracted to both,” he admitted. He almost sounded sad despite the smile on his face.

“Not allowed?” Nick’s tone reflected that it was one of the most preposterous things he’d heard in his life. And Nick Carraway had heard some  _ very  _ preposterous things. “Jay, haven’t you ever heard of bisexuality?”

The upward turn to the billionaire’s lips faltered instantly, instead quivering at the way the foreign word rolled off Nick’s tongue. The answer to the question was very apparent: he  _ hadn’t _ ever heard of it. Jay furrowed his brows, crystalline blue eyes gazing deep into his friend’s. “B-Bye…?”

“Bi,” Nick elaborated, “as in ‘two’. It’s a Latin root. You know how Latin roots work, don’t you?”

Jay nodded immediately in agreeance, though it was infinitely clear he had no clue what Nick was on about. “Yes, of course, I know all about them,” he lied.

Nick chuckled. That would be a lesson for another day. “Right. Well, the prefix ‘bi’ in front of ‘sexual’ makes ‘bisexual’. That means liking both sexes. Men and women.”

“B-Bisexual? Am I saying it right, old sport?” Jay’s look of bewilderment and almost  _ fear _ lingered in his features, but slowly a smile was breaking out once again.

“Yes, Jay,” Nick laughed, thoroughly humored and endeared by Jay’s reaction to this new piece of information. He was reminiscent of an excited child or puppy, now tugging at the sleeves of Nick’s shirt.

“This is fantastic! You really mean to tell me I can love men  _ and  _ women all by bisexualing?” There was a gleam in his eyes Nick wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before.

“Yes, that’s right.” The writer was doing his very best not to make his amusement obvious in case it offended Jay at all. Half that sentence hadn’t been quite correct, but he’d save that for another time too. Perhaps a dual lesson in Latin roots and English grammar was in order. 

“You’re so smart, Nick!”’ This was a rare instance where Jay made a point of using his actual first name instead of his affectionate catchphrase. With a few sighs of giddy giggling, Jay’s arms suddenly threw themselves around his friend and pulled him close.

The hug from nowhere took Nick by surprise, but it wasn’t unwelcome. With a few chuckles of his own he returned Jay’s embrace and momentarily savored the heat of his body against his own. It had been a while since he’d been properly hugged, and while their position wasn’t ideal, it was thoroughly satisfying.

Pulling away, Jay happily splashed his feet around in the water beneath their feet and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Woo-hoo! I am a bisexual!” He called it all too loudly and Nick, suddenly laughing harder, lunged to his side to pull Jay’s hands away from his face.

“Woah, hey, you stop that! Don’t go telling everybody that, now! Keep it quiet!”

Jay hugged his shoulders close to him and suddenly looked very serious, curtly nodding his head. “Right, right.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I am a bisexual!”

Nick grinned and gave a thumbs-up, to which Jay beamed in return and patted him on the back with quite a bit of force. 

It was probably the first time Nick supposed he’d ever seen the other man looking so genuinely happy. Without any additional stressors, Jay’s smile was bright and young, his eyes still crinkling like they must have when he was young. There seemed to be something new to admire about him with every glance.

“Um, old sport? With my newfound bisexualness there is something I would like to try.”

“What might that be?” Nick’s head tilted again, curiously this time. His smile was unwavering, adoration swimming in his eyes.

And without another word, Jay dipped his head forward, connecting his lips with Nick’s right on the edge of his dock. A single bird somewhere off in the distance chirped joyfully, and Nick doubted that he could ever be unhappy ever again.


End file.
